No. 1 worst NFL Draft pick in Panthers history: Rae Carruth

How to donate to Chancellor Lee and Saundra Adams

You can donate or write to Chancellor Lee and Saundra Adams, two main characters in the "Carruth" series
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You can donate or write to Chancellor Lee and Saundra Adams, two main characters in the "Carruth" series
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Welcome to the dark side of the NFL Draft, as we re-visit the 10 worst picks in Carolina Panthers history.

No. 1 worst pick: WR Rae Carruth (1997)

There’s no question as to why Rae Carruth is the Panthers’ worst-ever NFL Draft pick. We won’t spend much time discussing his crime and subsequent 18-year prison sentence for conspiracy to commit the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams.

Instead, those interested can make a donation to Adams’ son who survived the shooting, Chancellor Lee at www.buffs4life.org/donate.

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Carruth was Carolina’s first-round pick (No. 27 overall) in 1997 and had a decent rookie season before his criminal decisions brought his career to an abrupt end in 1999. Along with Jason Peter (1998) and Rashard Anderson (2000), Carruth was the first of three consecutive picks in the first round for the Panthers whose careers ended early because of either, crime, injury or drug use.

Marcel Louis-Jacques covers the Carolina Panthers for the Charlotte Observer, keeping you on top of Panthers news both on the field and behind the scenes. He is a 2014 graduate of Arizona State University and grew up in Sacramento, California.